The problems of the day before are gone, and I get back to the plan.
Today I have concentrated on the side excursion I’d come up with the other day and thought it could wait, but I’m at a point, further on, where I need to have this written to feed into the main story.
I’m in two minds about how this should be written because I had two possible outcomes sketched out two possible outcomes, and one leads to quite a different ending.
The plan, son, the plan!
I edit it as it should be, and the other outcome gets crossed out, and the outline is sent to the ‘to be written sometime in the future’ pile. It’s a strong enough ending to power its own story.
I might even become a sequel.
Hang on, don’t get carried away. Get this one finished first.
One of the hazards of writing can be being continually critical of your own work. I’m guilty as charged.
But in writing to a plan and in only 30 days, having to edit 50,000 words, there is no time to be critical.
Except…
So far down the track, I should be writing, not being critical.
But the thing is, I’m finding that I have to go back three chapters and read them through to pick up the thread. It’s not because it’s changed in any way from the plan; it’s just that I’m finding it hard to edit to a plan when usually I fly by the seat of my pants.
The trouble with doing that, it gives rise to considering changes, and right now there’s no time for change.
One of the hazards of writing can be being continually critical of your own work. I’m guilty as charged.
But in writing to a plan and in only 30 days, having to edit 50,000 words, there is no time to be critical.
Except…
So far down the track, I should be writing, not being critical.
But the thing is, I’m finding that I have to go back three chapters and read them through to pick up the thread. It’s not because it’s changed in any way from the plan; it’s just that I’m finding it hard to edit to a plan when usually I fly by the seat of my pants.
The trouble with doing that, it gives rise to considering changes, and right now there’s no time for change.
The novel ‘Echoes from the past’ started out as a short story I wrote about 30 years ago, titled ‘The Birthday’.
My idea was to take a normal person out of their comfort zone and led on a short but very frightening journey to a place where a surprise birthday party had been arranged.
Thus, the very large man with a scar and a red tie was created.
So was the friend with the limousine who worked as a pilot.
So were the two women, Wendy and Angelina, who were Flight Attendants that the pilot friend asked to join the conspiracy.
I was going to rework the short story, which was about ten pages long, into something a little more.
And like all rewrites, especially those I have anything to do with, it turned into a novel.
There was motivation. I had told some colleagues at the place where I worked at the time that I liked writing, and they wanted a sample. I was going to give them the re-worked short story. Instead, I gave them ‘Echoes from the past’
Originally, it was not set anywhere in particular.
But when considering a location, I had, at the time, recently been to New York in December, and visited Brooklyn and Queens, as well as a lot of New York itself. We were there for New Year’s, and it was an experience I’ll never forget.
One evening, we were out late, and finished up in Brooklyn Heights, near the waterfront, and there was rain and snow, it was cold and wet, and apartment buildings were shimmering in the street light, and I thought, this is the place where my main character will live.
It had a very spooky atmosphere, the sort where ghosts would not be unexpected. I felt more than one shiver go up and down my spine in the few minutes I was there.
I had taken notes, as I always do, of everywhere we went, so I had a ready supply of locations I could use, changing the names in some cases.
Fifth Avenue near the Rockefeller Centre is amazing at first light, and late at night with the Seasonal decorations and lights.
The original main character was a shy man with few friends, hence not expecting the surprise party. I enhanced that shyness into purposely lonely because of an issue from his past that leaves him always looking over his shoulder and ready to move on at the slightest hint of trouble. No friends, no relationships, just a very low profile.
Then I thought, what if he breaks the cardinal rule and begins a relationship?
But it is also as much an exploration of a damaged soul as it is the search for a normal life, without having any idea what normal was, and how the understanding of one person can sometimes make all the difference in what we may think or feel.
Or so the saying goes. I’m on target, but it’s like cruising down a placid river taking in the sights.
Until you hit the rapids.
That’s what it feels like, that there’s an impending disaster. I know how fatalistic it sounds, but many times in the past, when everything is going right, it’s too good to be true.
But…
I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
In the meantime, after editing today’s quota, I go back over the first ten chapters of part three and make some adjustments.
Now I feel better and can continue writing in accordance with the plan.
Or so the saying goes. I’m on target, but it’s like cruising down a placid river taking in the sights.
Until you hit the rapids.
That’s what it feels like, that there’s an impending disaster. I know how fatalistic it sounds, but many times in the past, when everything is going right, it’s too good to be true.
But…
I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
In the meantime, after editing today’s quota, I go back over the first ten chapters of part three and make some adjustments.
Now I feel better and can continue writing in accordance with the plan.
Checking the word count, I’m up to over 25,000 words, so that’s around the halfway mark.
But…
I’m simultaneously working on chapters 6 through 13 of part 3, and since it’s partly written and in outline, a few parts are missing. I think I’m going to have to go back and, at the very least, read it again and put in notes for the first edit.
Several tangents have caused issues going back, but it’s nothing major, and if I have time before the month ends, I will fix it. Otherwise, it can wait until the first edit.
Otherwise, it’s not all doom and gloom.
Going forward, I have the outlines for chapters 14 through 20, and they follow along from those previous. And I still have to find a place for an interlude that will have a bearing later on.
Of course, in the meantime, all of it will run through the theatre of my dreams.
Checking the word count, I’m up to over 25,000 words, so that’s around the halfway mark.
But…
I’m simultaneously working on chapters 6 through 13 of part 3, and since it’s partly written and in outline, a few parts are missing. I think I’m going to have to go back and, at the very least, read it again and put in notes for the first edit.
Several tangents have caused issues going back, but it’s nothing major, and if I have time before the month ends, I will fix it. Otherwise, it can wait until the first edit.
Otherwise, it’s not all doom and gloom.
Going forward, I have the outlines for chapters 14 through 20, and they follow along from those previous. And I still have to find a place for an interlude that will have a bearing later on.
Of course, in the meantime, all of it will run through the theatre of my dreams.
You guessed it, the Maple Leafs are playing the New York Islanders, and it’s not going to be pretty.
It’s made worse by the fact that Chester has decided to barrack for the Islanders.
Turncoat!
But, it gives me an idea to dig myself out of a plot hole, and there’s more scribbling before I go to the master plan, now on the computer, and I can easily move things around.
I was writing yesterday, and somehow my mind took the story off on a tangent.
Sleeping on it, it led to another part, and then it will neatly fold back into the master plan later on. It’s a twist no one will see coming, simply because I didn’t, at first.
As of last night, my word count is sitting at 25,044 words, which is good and gives me a buffer in case I get a blockage of some sort.
Today’s word count looks like it will be about 1,400 words.
The Maple Leafs are 2 to 0 down, and I think I’ll change the channel to a repeat of Murdoch Mysteries.
All I have to do is get the channel changer out from under the cat.
You guessed it, the Maple Leafs are playing the New York Islanders, and it’s not going to be pretty.
It’s made worse by the fact that Chester has decided to barrack for the Islanders.
Turncoat!
But, it gives me an idea to dig myself out of a plot hole, and there’s more scribbling before I go to the master plan, now on the computer, and I can easily move things around.
I was writing yesterday, and somehow my mind took the story off on a tangent.
Sleeping on it, it led to another part, and then it will neatly fold back into the master plan later on. It’s a twist no one will see coming, simply because I didn’t, at first.
As of last night, my word count is sitting at 25,044 words, which is good and gives me a buffer in case I get a blockage of some sort.
Today’s word count looks like it will be about 1,400 words.
The Maple Leafs are 2 to 0 down, and I think I’ll change the channel to a repeat of Murdoch Mysteries.
All I have to do is get the channel changer out from under the cat.
Thrills, Spills, and just a dash of Romance 